Pen shuffles leadership roles to drive strategic growth plans

London-based Pen Underwriting has revealed a number of newly created roles and leadership appointments designed to support its strategic growth plans of becoming a £1 billion GWP underwriting and distribution business in the next five years.

Stewart Gardiner has been appointed to the newly created position of technical underwriting director, spanning all lines of business and all divisions and reporting into chief underwriting officer Jennifer Martin. Gardiner was previously underwriting director of Pen’s risk managed commercial business.

In Pen’s specialty division, Seb Simmonds has been appointed managing director of risk managed commercial, following Nick Wright’s move to take up the newly created position of chief business development officer.

Currently managing director of commercial delegated solutions, Simmonds will now take on responsibility for the overall performance of risk managed commercial, supported by his teams across the Leeds, Glasgow, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester and London offices.

Supporting Seb will be regional director Rob Chapman, who will become commercial director of risk managed commercial, a newly created position. Chapman will take responsibility for trading performance, supporting capacity relationships, the broker panel, collaboration with sales & marketing and operational efficiency.

All the roles will be effective November 1, 2020.

Martin said: “The introduction of this new leadership position underlines the absolute importance we place on integrity and professionalism within the discipline of underwriting. Stewart’s cross-class expertise combined with his extensive market and technical underwriting knowledge will see him excel in this role. His market reputation, first-rate trading skills and sound understanding of the required governance structure for an underwriting business of our size and scale also place him brilliantly in this position.”

Steve Thornett, managing director of the specialty division, added: “Our Risk Managed Commercial business is a core part of Pen’s differentiated proposition for brokers and will be a massive contributor to the successful delivery of our ambitious plans for accelerated growth to become a £1bn business. With Seb and Rob at the helm we know the performance and future expansion of this business is assured.”